New Hampshire
Portsmouth Music Hall apologizes for canceling abortion provider’s fundraiser, following backlash
After defending its actions last week, the Music Hall in Portsmouth is now apologizing for its decision to cancel a fundraiser for the Lovering Center, a Seacoast-based sexual health service provider, scheduled for earlier this month.
“The Music Hall team recognizes that they should have more productively engaged Lovering in the decision-making process. And for that, we apologize and are committed to making things right,” said Jude Blake, chair of the Music Hall board of trustees, in a statement to NHPR Tuesday.
The board chair says the theater also reached out to the Lovering Center to apologize directly, offered to host a future event, is planning on hosting listening sessions with key community groups, and is reevaluating its security and rental protocols.
But the Lovering Center — and many others in the theater’s network of volunteers, sponsors and fellow nonprofits — said the damage cannot be easily undone.
Sandi Denoncour, executive director of the Lovering Center, said her organization did receive an apology from the Music Hall but has not yet decided how it will proceed.
“We have not accepted their offer to host a future event for the Lovering. Quite honestly, our trust in them is destroyed,” she said.
Jennifer Minicucci, executive director of Arts in Reach, a Seacoast-based arts education nonprofit, said her group moved their fundraiser originally planned to be held at the Music Hall later this month after learning about the Lovering Center cancellation.
“It felt like a matter of integrity,” she said.
She said her group serves diverse communities of children, many of who are low-income, BIPOC and LGBTQ. She said she worried that what happened to the Lovering Center could set a precedent.
“That’s something that could happen to us because of the population that we’re serving,” she said.
She said she hopes the Music Hall can repair the situation.
Barbara MacLeod, who leads CrossCurrent Communications, pulled her public relations firm from leading press for the New Hampshire Film Festival, which is held at the theater, in solidarity with Lovering.
“Given our misalignment in values with the Music Hall, we cannot, in good conscience, continue our involvement,” she wrote in an email to NHPR. “This decision reflects our commitment to integrity and accountability in our work and the importance of collaborating with partners who share our core principles.”
(Editor’s note: The Music Hall is an NHPR underwriter. But like all underwriters, they have no input into how we cover the news.)
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BOW, NH — Bow police and fire and rescue teams were sent to a crash on Sunday afternoon, not far from a previous crash earlier this month.
At 2:30 p.m., Concord Fire Alarm reported a crash involving multiple vehicles not far from the intersection of Page Road and Clinton Street. About 10 minutes later, a battalion commander told dispatch there were three vehicles involved and two patients were being evaluated. Dispatch asked if EMTs needed a retone for an engine, and the commander said, “Yeah, why don’t you send them.”
News 603 posted a video from the crash scene on Facebook, linked here.
Just before 3 p.m., EMTs cleared the scene after reporting the patients refused transport.
The crash site was not far from a crash on May 1 that sent one driver to Concord Hospital. In July 2024, a fatal motorcycle accident, which took the life of Joseph Kasper of Weare, occured not far from the location of Sunday’s crash.
Not long after, Concord Fire and Rescue teams were sent to a downed tree on Merrimack Street by School Street.
The tree was knocked down after a small storm moved through the region around 2:45 p.m.
New Hampshire
Photo Exhibit | Art Talk | Crew Competition | Nashua Genealogy Club | More: Week Ahead Events
NASHUA, NH — Here is the week ahead roundup.
Get out, New Hampshire.
Event listings are free on one Patch site. You can share your calendar info on other community sites for a modest fee, starting at 25 cents per day. To get started, visit the Events link on the front page of all Patch sites. Statewide calendar roundups are published on most Sundays and Wednesdays. Visit any of the 223 New Hampshire Patch Event sites (patch.com/map/new-hampshire) for updated listings.
Join us for a community conversation exploring how land conservation supports thriving communities, healthy ecosystems, and local economies. Recent research from Maine highlights the growing economic value of conserved lands — from supporting recreation, forestry, agriculture, and tourism to protecting clean water, storing carbon, and strengthening climate resilience. The findings reveal something important: protecting natural landscapes is not only good for the environment, but also for the people and communities that depend on them.
Together, we’ll explore what this research means both regionally and here at home. How do conserved lands shape our quality of life, local economy, and sense of place? How can communities balance growth, conservation, and long-term sustainability? And what role can each of us play in protecting the landscapes that support both nature and people?
At each “Let’s Talk Nature” gathering, we share a short article in advance and come together for an informal, welcoming discussion. Each session stands on its own, and everyone is welcome. No expertise needed. Bring your curiosity and a willingness to listen and share. Drinks and cookies provided.
Read this session’s article: Conserved Land in Maine has Growing Economic Power
Grey Rocks Conservation Center
10:30 AM – 11:30 AM on Wed, 1 Jul 2026
Event Supported By
Newfound Lake Region Association
603-744-8689
info@NewfoundLake.org
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